I was delighted to see that the V&A in London has worked with Natural History Museum of Denmark to put on a ground breaking exhibition called Fashioned by Nature. As our awareness of the impact of the clothing industry on the environment and the issue of fast fashion increases this is the essential exhibition to go to this summer (it runs until 1 September 2019) to gain a deeper and visual understanding of the issue.

Fashioned from Nature explores the fabric of fashion and highlights fashion’s dependence on the riches of nature by presenting beautiful dresses from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, alongside fascinating specimens from the extensive scientific collections at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. The exhibition celebrates fashion’s innovation, creativity, and the inspiration it finds in nature, but it also draws attention to the industry’s heavy footprint on the planet. {from the Geological Museum website here}

The curation of the exhibition is outstanding, with the juxtaposition of beautiful dresses created by world-renowned designers including Gaultier and Stella McCartney  and natural specimens. I was particularly taken by a dress decorated with the wings and body case of jewel beetles. There are a number of fascinating videos about the dresses and nature to help gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

The section about Fashion Revolution and how some designers over the last few decades have been at the forefront of campaigning about environmental and social issues was especially interesting to me. Like in many industries there have been influential people talking about and taking action on these issues for a long time but we seem to be a point where this is becoming a more mainstream as our awareness of human impact on climate change is becoming  undeniable.

I went with my nine-year old son and he was engrossed  in the exhibition due to the varied nature of the presentation of the information. As well as visiting the special exhibition we really can recommend the gem stones halls as well as the other current exhibition about butterflies. The high spec microscope connected to a TV screen to examine butterflies was a bit hit. We are amazed at the fact, under high magnification, how furry butterflies’ bodies are and how intricate their beautiful wings are.

The exhibition is located in the Geological Museum close to Nørreport and the entry ticket covers you to all visit the palm houses and the butterflies house in the nearby Botanical Gardens and also the Zoological Museum a short bus ride away.

For more information about the exhibitions at the Geological Museum click here.